For Alberta, you can access this information through the AER Product and Services Catalogue as a self-serve item. Specifically, it is found within the ‘Wells’ category, with the product name “Hydraulic Fracturing Water Source and Water Use Data”. As the product name implies, there is detailed information on water used for hydraulic fracturing operations, as well as the source(s) of that water; fluid composition information is found within the ‘Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use Data (Annual)’ self-serve file.

The records essentially
report the same information and the different jurisdictions share a common
interest in protecting water and supporting public access to information. For example, general information regarding location
and well ownership information as well as the particulars of the hydraulic
fracturing fluids utilized at a well are common. The differences in the reports
reflect the variations in data submission requirements, management processes,
and retrieval and reporting procedures of the two jurisdictions.

An ingredient or formulation of ingredients that represent a
unique or competitive advantage to owner of the intellectual property associated
with the ingredient, formulation or use.
Various mechanisms are available to protect confidential business
information. For hazardous materials,
companies wishing to protect their intellectual property may apply to the
Hazardous Material Information Review Commission for a claim exemption under
the Hazardous Material Information Review Act to deem the ingredient or
formulation a trade secret. For non
hazardous materials this decision remains with the creator of the ingredient or
formulation. Creators may also apply for
patents; however many consider this mechanism to not be a practical mechanism
to protect confidential business information as disclosure of the ingredient or
formulation is necessary. While it may be in the public interest to offer some
protection of trade secrets, a basic level of information is captured in all
cases and additional information can be required if necessary to support an
incident investigation.

The
most likely reasons are that either the wells were fractured before January 1,
2012 (British Columbia) or January 1, 2013 (Alberta) or they have not yet been
entered into the system. Only wells fractured after those dates will be entered
into the system. Furthermore, companies
undertaking hydraulic fracturing operations have 30 days from the time their
completion operations have finished to submit their records. Initially, records
for Alberta
wells may take longer than the 30 days noted as licensees develop systems to
compile and report the information electronically. Please keep checking back as wells are added
on a daily basis

For any ingredient that is subject to a claim for exemption through Hazardous Material Information Review Act, the registry number must be provided in the Comments. Furthermore, the generic name of the ingredient must also be provided, where possible. Otherwise, the ingredient may be listed as ‘Undisclosed’. If the subject of the claim is solely for the chemical identity of one or more ingredients, then the CAS number(s) is/are left blank for each ingredient subject to a claim, but the maximum concentration within the additive is provided, along with the maximum concentration within the fracture fluid for each ingredient. If the subject of the claim is to protect both the chemical identity and the concentration of one or more ingredients, then the CAS number(s) is/are left blank along with the concentration(s) within the additive for each ingredient subject to a claim. If possible, concentration of the ingredient within the fracture fluid can also be provided, but may also be left blank.

Within
Canada, any supplier who is required, pursuant to the provisions of the
Hazardous Products Act, to disclose the chemical identity or concentration of
any ingredient of a controlled product may, if the supplier considers such
information to be confidential business information, claim an exemption from
the requirement to disclose that information by filing a claim for exemption
under the Hazardous Material Information Review Act.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracing”, is the process of creating small cracks, or fractures, in deeply buried geological formations to allow natural gas to flow into the wellbore. The natural gas can then flow to the surface under controlled conditions through the wellhead and be collected for processing and distribution.

During the hydraulic fracturing process, a mixture of water, sand and other chemical additives designed to protect the integrity of the wellbore and enhance production is pumped under high pressure into the formation to create fractures. The fractures are kept open by sand or “proppant”, which provides pathways to allow the natural gas to flow into the wellbore.

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